A family who received a DIY SOS refurbishment are leaving after saying the show ‘wrecked’ their house.
Peter Chapman and his Cheltenham-based family taped the popular noon programme in February 2020, but have since discovered the house to be insufficient.
The 64-year-old is a full-time caretaker for his wheelchair-bound wife Sarah, his ailing daughter Suzanne, and his autistic brother Steve, all of whom reside in the home.
While the Charlton Kings restoration appeared to be going smoothly in the show, Peter believes the BBC wrecked his home and has been entangled in a legal struggle since.
The family has been beset by complaints about a leaking roof, a too steep wheelchair ramp, and shoddy craftsmanship.
They are now relocating to the United States to be closer to Peter’s son, who has been living there for 20 years.
‘DIY SOS has robbed me of the last three years and the stress is killing me,’ Peter told the Daily Mail.
‘My wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne have not been able to use the outdoor facilities that were built by DIY SOS because it is now in a dangerous condition, which they were made aware of and they acknowledged over two years ago but nothing was done.’
The family had also recently lost a daughter, Margaret, to Myotonic Dystrophy, a hereditary condition that impairs muscular function, at the time of shooting.
Suzanne and Sarah have the disease as well, and Peter alleges they have had instances in the house that “might have been fatal.”
He said that the wall bars, which were designed to support less able-bodied persons, ‘fell away’ when Sarah used them on her first day back in the house.
Peter added: ‘Part of the floor collapsed in the hallway, while I was walking on it, which again could have been fatal for my wife or my daughter.’
According to reports, he also begged the promoters not to run the performance in June 2022, and has since experienced disgrace in his community.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘DIY SOS is a heart-warming programme that brings communities together and helps improve the lives of those in need thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who give up their time to participate.
‘As with all of our previous projects, the Charlton Kings build was planned and completed in accordance with the necessary required regulatory approvals and signed off onsite by building control.’
The BBC stated that remedies to the problem had been presented to Peter, all of which he had rejected.
According to The Daily Mail, a cost of £15,000 was proposed for repairs, but Peter refused it, claiming that more than twice that amount would be required.
When Peter denied its offers of assistance, the broadcaster noted that the remodelling had been performed in accordance with rules and that it had obtained unbiased third-party opinion to appraise the house.
Furthermore, the BBC maintained that it was aware of Peter’s house upgrades since the end of shooting, which it had no role with.
It stated that it took its responsibility to its contributions extremely seriously, provided Peter assistance, and returned personal belongings to him.
Peter said: ‘We’re so fed up with it that we will eventually be moving. It’s a difficult decision but I feel so wronged at what they did to me.
‘They just put their foot down on me and said “no”. I just don’t feel comfortable here any more.’
Source My Celebrity Life.
